Special Features
The singing chef of Chiriquí road trips, at La Isleta
Organic beef “tasajo”.
Chef Arturo Villarreal at La Isleta
is not just a good cook,
he is also quite the singer.
At the 348 km mark along the Inter American Highway, between Santiago and David, is La Isleta Restaurante y Marina. This unexpected spot is well worth the stop to try the cuisine and take a stroll down to the estuary. The beach is very close to the road. The restaurant has been a lead-in for owners Roberto Castrellón and Arturo Villarreal to build a boat tour and overnight cabin business on their cattle ranch as well.
Food is served from 11:00 a.m. to sundown. The fish soup ($3 / $7) is a must. “Tasajo” is a local preparation of meat, cured and a bit dry. An organic beef “tasajo” is available for $15. The heart of palm ceviche ($4) is excellent. Most importantly, the “sorbete de nance” ($2.50) is so good that you might just order one more delicious tropical tart sorbet to take on the road.
After a meal, if Chef Arturo has no more tables to cook for, feel free to ask for a song. The same man who cooked your steak and scooped your sorbet will drop his apron and turn on the karaoke machine. Arturo’s renditions of romantic Spanish ballads are just as good as his cooking... both are unexpected and pleasant surprises for travelers on the long road between Chiriquí and just about anywhere else in the country.
Call 6402-6900 or visit www.laisletachiriqui.com.
FRAEXPA – a fraternity of foreigners and Panamanians
FRAEXPA founding
member Stefan Zosso
spoke to The Visitor.
A new association is in the making. The Fraternity of Foreigners and Panamanians (Fraternidad de Extranjeros y Panameños - FRAEXPA) will be working to unite Panamanians and foreigners who are living and working in Panama.
Founding member Stefan Zosso exemplifies what FRAEXPA is all about. Born in Austin, Texas and raised in Switzerland, he is the manager of Raenco, a home and construction mega-store here in Panama. The Visitor spoke with Stefan about the organization’s mission: to start a circle of trust between foreigners and Panamanians to foment the sharing of cross-cultural experiences at events, to do business and to keep up with the issues affecting foreigners in Panama. FRAEXPA is a socio-cultural and business group.
Stefan says, “Getting a driver’s license can be so difficult.” Without a little advice a simple task can take months for the foreigner new to any society, including Panama. He also pointed out the fragmentation of foreigner groups living and working in Panama, “There is the Swiss group over here and the US group over there and another group somewhere else, and they don’t interact.”
FRAEXPA was founded by 24 leading businessmen and philanthropists from various countries to promote mutual understanding and acceptance of the many cultures here and their social and business environments by organizing cultural and social events that will bring Panamanians and foreigners together. Already members representing Argentina, Brazil, Guatemala, Greece, India, Israel, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Panama and the USA are part of FRAEXPA.
It is a non-profit, non-religious and non-political organization. For more information visit www.fraexpa.org or contact the executive director, Yuvixa Espinoza de Jordán, at 226-8286 or write direccionejecutiva@fraexpa.org.
Social Section - Sociales
Con Patricia Puentes
Le Méridien Hotel and InterContinental Miramar Hotel support tourism students
Larissa Atencio, human resources manager of the InerContinental Miramar Hotel; Marielos De Obaldía, lobby manager, students and teachers from the Instituto Comercial Bolívar; Giovanni Cerabona, general manager of the hotel; Carolina Urriola, personell supervision general manager and Diana Collado, housekeeping manager.
Executives from the Le Méridien Hotel and the InterContinental Miramar Hotel Panama received high school students who study tourism at the Colegio Instituto Comercial Bolívar and teachers from the “commerce institute” as part of an educational agreement between the Ministry of Education and the Panamanian Association of Hotels (APATEL) to train young people in hotel service.
New models
Auto Sportivo Italiano presents the SEAT Exeo and the Ibiza Automatico
Jordi Del Vasto, manager of
Auto Sportivo Panamá.
An evening of music, wine and cheese preceded the presentation of the new SEAT Exeo and the Ibiza Automático. These fine automobiles combine quality, design and technology.
After selling their house in the States, our next-door neighbors up in the mountain bought a nice house with a big terrace and a view. They barely lasted a year. Now they’ve listed their house at a hefty price in hopes of being able to afford something back in Utah or ...wherever.
So why didn’t it work out? No one really knows, but the guy couldn’t speak a word of Spanish and didn’t seem to want to learn. As far as I could see, they didn’t have much to do, except errands. And they did very little to cope with the cultural, climatic, and other various differences that make up living in a foreign country.
Expats have to be adaptable. Maybe they simply hated Sky TV (one of their only activities which I was able to observe.) Maybe ol’Jack played his old Jimi Hendrix records too loud on the hi-fi I brought down in my container shipment.
The point is that Panama is not for everybody. It takes a certain sense of adventure; a tolerance for differences; a patience to allow life to unfold; a level of intelligence that allows one to problem solve; an open mind and yes, a sense of humor. As a service to visitors and expats, I’ve made up two lists of how you would know if Panama was right for you or not.
You know Panama is not right for you because...
...you consistently show up early for events.
...you miss daylight savings time.
...the rainy season is too wet and the dry season is too dry.
...you kinda miss hurricane season.
...you demand your “jubilado” discount from a hot dog vendor.
...you miss Wolf Blitzer and the Situation Room / or Bill Maher / or the Today Show; and you can’t stand CNN International from Hong Kong.
...you hope Noriega returns to straighten things out.
...you can’t say or hear the word “mañana” without cursing.
...you refuse to drive in the city because you’re afraid of the Diablo Rojos.
...you’re thinking about running over pedestrians.
...you think it’s always too freakin’ hot.
...you think the bugs are singling you out for special attention.
...you refuse to speak Spanish and complain that nobody speaks English; or your Spanish never seems to improve and sometimes actually gets worse.
...you’re worried about FARC attacks.
...the first thing you do when you land in Miami is drive your rental car to a “real” McDonald’s.
...if you ever start a sentence with the words “those Panamanians…” After all, it is their country.
You know that Panama is the right place for you when...
...you find yourself putting off chores indefinitely.
...you play golf in flip flops.
...you wear your bug bites like badges of honor.
...you honk your horn several times every time you drive the car.
...you prefer the rainy season over the dry season—muy verde.
...dogs along the road look like your pet’s cousins.
...you forget to take your jubliado discount at a fonda.
...you go out to dinner in Casco Viejo and you don’t think it’s scary.
...a ten percent tip feels fair.
...it gets down to 65 degrees in the mountains and you think it is “mucho frio.”
...you thought the World Series was cool because both teams had a player from Panama.
...you can’t wait for the next Spay-the-Stray clinic.
...you get most of your information from the big Panasonic electric sign overlooking the Cinta Costera.
...you open a window and look outside for today’s weather report.
...you name your pet tarantula. (Suggestions include Bob or Lulu but not Charlotte.)
...you didn’t fire your maid, but didn’t give her a raise either.
...you purchased a Ruben Blades CD.
...your mother-in-law refuses to visit what she considers a banana republic.
...you told the census taker that you go to the bathroom in (pick one) a. the neighbor’s yard b. out in the jungle c. in the sea d. all of the above.
...you read El Visitante every week.